Lost
by BettyHall223
Summary: Sam is missing. Where is she?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are not my property. No copyright infringement is intended._

_A/N: Flashbacks are in italics._

Jack jerked awake and sat up in bed, realizing he had been having another disturbing dream about Sam. Rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he got out of bed.

Pushing back the window curtain, he looked outside in the morning light to see that there was snow on the ground and it was still coming down.

Feeling the overwhelming urge to get out of the house to take a walk and clear his head from the dream, he quickly dressed.

Walking into the kitchen, he wrote a note to the other occupants of the house to let them know he would be returning soon.

Putting on his warmest jacket, he pulled the hood up over his head and came out on the porch. Standing still for a few moments, he watched the snow flakes fall gently to the ground.

Taking a shortcut through his yard, he started up the sidewalk that led to the nearby park. A gust of wind hit him in the face but he barely felt the sting of cold air as he slowly walked along, hands in his pockets.

People might think he was crazy if they saw him, wondering why he was out in this freezing weather when he could be at home, sitting by a blazing fire. But here he was, making the effort to put one foot in front of the other instead of being inside his warm house, a lonely house he had once shared with his wife.

Looking up at the cloudy sky, he whispered "where are you, Sam?"

Wandering further around the park, he pulled the hood of his jacket tighter to shield his ears from the wind as tears filled his eyes. Today marked the two year anniversary of Sam's disappearance and since then he hadn't been the same.

_When he had received his first star and became commander of the base, Sam had taken over R&D at Area 51. During the short time that she was out of his chain of command, they had married in a brief ceremony._

_He and Sam had not realized how happy they could be until they had finally married and even though their jobs were in different states, they spent time together as much as possible on their days off._

_A few months after their wedding, they were ecstatic to learn that Sam was pregnant. She had stayed at Area 51 until the beginning of her ninth month when she had returned home to Colorado Springs. She wanted to spend the last weeks of her pregnancy getting the nursery ready for the baby and he loved having her around all the time._

_They had found out that they were having a boy._

_As he stood beside Sam in the paint department of a home improvement store, he had watched with amusement when it had taken her over a half hour to choose the perfect shade of blue paint for the nursery._

_He had tried to act irritated when she had dragged him to numerous baby stores to pick out just the right curtains, crib, rocking chair, stroller, car seat, toys and tiny baby boy clothes, but Sam had seen right through him and knew he was enjoying this as much as she was._

_He tried not to laugh as he watched her sit on the sofa with her legs stretched out and her swollen bare feet on the coffee table, as she tried to balance her laptop on her thighs while reaching around her large tummy to type on her computer. He thought she looked adorable._

_Just one week before their first wedding anniversary, Sam gave birth to Dylan Jacob O'Neill, named for both his grandfathers._

_When Dylan was two months old, Sam returned to Stargate Command as a research consultant, working in her lab and only in the mornings, leaving the rest of the day to spend with Dylan._

_Knowing they needed someone to take care of their son while he and Sam were at the base, they interviewed several people. When Mrs. Graham, a widow, interviewed for the job, they hired her on the spot. Having four children and eight grandchildren of her own, he and Sam felt she certainly had enough on-the-job experience to take care of one little boy. Mrs. Graham was kind and patient and Dylan had taken to her at once._

_As Dylan grew, he loved to see the smile on Sam's face as she would play with Dylan and make him giggle. She loved being a mother and they had discussed having a second child._

_Sometime before Dylan's third birthday, the leader of SG-1, who had only been on the job for a few months, was killed off-world so he cautiously offered the job to Sam. Since she now had Dylan to consider, she thought long and hard before finally accepting the position and they hired Mrs. Graham to work full time._

_If he and Sam had known what was about to happen, he now knew that he would not have offered her the position and she definitely would not have gone off-world._

The fluffy white flakes were coming down heavier, but he hardly noticed as he wiped the moisture from his eyes and his thoughts went back to that defining day that had drastically changed his and Dylan's lives.

_Sam had been leading SG-1 for a few short weeks when he had sent the team to explore an uncharted planet._

_Sitting in his office, he tried not to think that SG-1 was overdue from their mission. As Sam's CO, these were the moments he hated most, when his former team had not returned on schedule._

_He had tried to contact the team by radio but could not get a response._

_He was about to order SG-3 to gear up for a rescue mission when the gate began to turn and they received SG-1's IDC. As he watched from the window of the control room, Teal'c and Daniel came through the event horizon but Sam wasn't with them. His two friends hurried down the ramp to explain what had happened._

_After exploring the planet for two days and finding nothing of importance, Sam had just said to Daniel and Teal'c that they should return home, when they heard a sound and looked up in the bright sky to see a ship coming to a sudden stop overhead. Sam asked Teal'c if he recognized the ship but he did not._

_The team looked around for a place to hide but there was no time as five men descended to the surface. The first thing they noticed about the men was that they were short in stature, only three or four inches over five feet tall. The men were dressed in black robes that came to the ground, their arms crossed and hidden inside the sleeves._

_SG-1 raised their weapons in a defensive maneuver as Daniel tried to converse with the men but they spoke in a language he did not recognize._

_The group talked among themselves for a few moments until one of the men quickly pulled his hand from his sleeve, held up something that looked like a small mirror and a bright light shot out from the object. Before any of SG-1 could react, they fell to the ground, leaving them unconscious._

_Teal'c and Daniel awoke to find that Sam, the men and the ship were gone._

_Since darkness was settling over the planet, Teal'c and Daniel knew they had been unconscious for quite some time so they hurried to the gate to inform him of what had taken place._

_He called General Hammond to come from Washington to take command of the base while he went with Teal'c, Daniel, SG-3 and SG-12 back to the planet to search for anyone that might know who the men were who had taken Sam._

_Arriving on the planet, he ordered the teams to go in different directions._

_After covering as much territory as they could for four days, the teams met up once again at the stargate. They had found no signs of civilization, no one who could tell them where Sam might be, so everyone returned to Earth._

_He had gotten in touch with all their allies. Thor had scanned the planet where Sam had been kidnapped as well as nearby planets to search for signs of life, but had found none._

_He accompanied many teams to search other planets, hoping to find any information they could about Sam, but no one seemed to know who the men were or where they had come from._

_He and General Hammond did everything they could possibly think of to try to locate Sam but she had simply disappeared._

_General Hammond eventually had to return to Washington and he had tried to take over once again as Commander of the base, but his heart wasn't in it. He became distracted easily in briefings, couldn't concentrate on the endless paperwork, was short tempered with everyone and was constantly on edge, thinking about how this was affecting Dylan._

_He returned home as often as he could to see his son, knowing that Dylan greatly missed his Mother. Almost every time he would come through the door, Dylan would ask for Mommy and start to cry when he didn't see her. Taking Dylan in his arms from Mrs. Graham, he would try to comfort his son as best he could._

_He found it hard to sleep and when he finally did, he dreamed of Sam, trying to find her on some godforsaken planet. He would wake up in a cold sweat, realizing that no matter how hard he tried to find her, he could not._

_Other nights he would dream of making love with Sam and he would awake and realize she wasn't there beside him, breaking his heart over and over again. He would stare into the darkness and tears would wet his pillow as he berated himself for offering Sam the job in the first place._

_Sometimes in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep, he would wander through the house and finally end up in Dylan's room. He would look at his son as he slept, desperately wishing that he could find Sam to bring her home._

_Three months after Sam's disappearance, he met with Teal'c and Daniel and told them his plans. Knowing his heart was no longer in his job, he wanted to retire. Dylan needed him even more, now that he had to be both mother and father to his son._

_He had told his two closest friends that Charlie's death and not knowing what had happened to Sam were the most devastating events he had ever lived through. If he knew for certain that Sam was dead, he could finally accept it and move on with his life, but not knowing what had happened to her was taking a toll on his health, mentally and physically._

_He had given his resignation to General Hammond who was not surprised that he wanted to end his career._

_Walter asked to give him a retirement party but he had refused. Under the circumstances, he wanted to quietly retire without any fanfare._

_Colonel Reynolds was promoted to Brigadier General and had taken over as commander of the base._

_The week after his retirement, he dismissed Mrs. Graham, although she still stayed with Dylan occasionally when he needed her to._

_Daniel, Teal'c and Janet spent as much time with Dylan and himself as they could. Cassie loved to baby sit and had become a surrogate big sister to Dylan._

_He met with an attorney and had taken steps to have Daniel become Dylan's guardian in case something happened to him._

_He desperately missed his wife and although she was no longer on Earth, his love for her had not diminished in the least._

He shivered in the cold as the snow blew around him. Glancing at his watch, he realized he had been gone longer than he thought he would and knew he needed to get back to his house to get warm. Getting sick was something he definitely wanted to avoid.

As he came around the corner and down the street, he could see Cassie and Dylan in his front yard, bundled up in coats, hats and mittens. Apparently, they had awakened just after he left for his walk and were now rolling snow into a big ball to make a snowman.

A memory came to mind as he watched his son.

_Sam had been missing for over a year when Daniel came by one Saturday afternoon to visit._

_They went out on the deck and sat down to talk as Dylan played in the backyard._

_Dylan saw Daniel and ran up on the deck._

"_Hey, Dylan. How ya doing?"_

"_Okay" he answered as he climbed up on Daniel's lap._

"_Your Dad told me you've started pre-school. Do you like it?"_

_Dylan nodded his head. "Yeah, it's fun."_

"_What do you do there?"_

"_Well, we play on the swings and the monkey bars and we draw and paint and color and we have snacks and take naps and count and learn the ABC's and we do all kinds of stuff."_

"_So you're making lots of new friends?"_

"_Yes."_

_He grinned. "Dylan, tell Daniel what Madeline did."_

_Dylan scrunched up his face._

"_Who's Madeline?"_

"_A girl at school" Dylan answered softly._

"_What did she do, Dylan?"_

"_She kissed me!"_

_Daniel grinned. "Did you kiss her back?"_

_Dylan shook his head. "No way!"_

"_You didn't like being kissed?"_

"_It's yucky! I don't like girls!"_

_Daniel laughed. "We'll see if you still feel that way in another ten years."_

_Dylan slid off Daniel's lap. "I'm gonna go play in my room."_

_They watched as Dylan opened the door and went inside._

_Daniel leaned back in his chair and they sat in silence for a few moments. "So, Jack, how are you?"_

_He hesitated for a moment and stared straight ahead. "Fine."_

_Daniel took a deep breath. "Jack, I've known you for a long time so tell me the truth."_

_He turned his head and looked at Daniel. "What do you want me to say? That life is just peachy? That I've never been happier?"_

"_No, Jack. I know you're not happy, be honest with me. I'm your best friend so talk to me."_

_Standing up, he walked to the banister and grasped it tightly as he stared into the yard. "Sam's clothes are still in our closet. I can't bring myself to pack them away because I keep hoping she'll be back to wear them. Her hairbrush is still on the bathroom vanity right where she left it. I sometimes think I smell her perfume and I turn around to see if it's her, but realize it's just my imagination and she's not there. There's a can of Diet Coke in the refrigerator that I can't bring myself to throw out because I know how much Sam likes it. I parked her car in the garage and haven't driven it since she disappeared. I keep thinking she'll be back to drive it again. Her Indian hasn't been touched. I keep hoping its owner will come home to take it out for a spin. I thought about putting away all of Sam's pictures but decided to leave them out because I don't want Dylan to forget his Mother. I wake up sometimes at night with my heart pounding from dreaming about Sam, knowing I can't find her to bring her home. Not a minute of the day goes by that I don't miss her and wonder if she's dead or if she is alive, is she okay? Is she being held prisoner and if so, is she being raped or tortured and has she lost all faith in me, thinking that I've abandoned her and haven't rescued her? I watch Dylan cry himself to sleep because he wants his Mother. I listen to our son ask me over and over again with such pain in his eyes 'is Mommy ever coming home?'"_

_He put his hand to his mouth as tears filled his eyes._

_Daniel stood up and put his arm around his shoulder without saying a word._

_Feeling embarrassed, he quickly wiped away the moisture. "I'm sorry."_

"_Jack, it's okay. That's one of the very few times I've seen you cry in all the years I've known you. I'd think something was really wrong if this situation didn't get to you so don't apologize for your feelings. I know I'm not you and I don't know how you really feel but I have some idea of what you're going through. I didn't know where Sha're was for a year and it was pure torture not knowing what had happened to her. I know what it's like to miss the woman you love so don't apologize for letting your guard down and showing how you feel."_

_They sat back down and he glanced at Daniel. "You're a good friend and I know I don't tell you that often enough."_

"_That's what good friends are for, Jack, is to lean on each other when life becomes almost unbearable."_

Jack stared at Dylan. It was hard to realize that his son was now almost five years old.

Dylan saw him coming and waved.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Hi, Dylan."

Cassie grinned. "Come on, Jack, we could use your help."

He picked up some snow and formed a ball in his hands, placed it on the ground and started to roll it in the snow.

The three worked together and soon had a snowman about five feet tall.

Cassie found some acorns on the ground and used those to make a face for the snowman and as she finished, they stood back to admire their work.

Cassie smiled. "Dylan, you did a great job."

Dylan tugged on Jack's hand. "Let's make another one!"

Jack grinned. "Maybe later. We need to go inside and get warm. I don't want you or Cassie getting sick from being out here too long in this cold air."

Cassie took Dylan's hand. "Come on, we'll make hot chocolate."

Jack took Dylan's other hand as they carefully climbed the slick steps.

When lunch time came, they carried their food to the living room. Dylan and Cassie sat on the floor and Jack sat on the sofa.

Jack turned on the TV and they watched an Avalanche game as they ate and after they had eaten, Cassie took the dishes to the kitchen.

Dylan got up from the floor and sat on Jack's lap.

Jack's attention was focused on the game for a few minutes until he looked down at Dylan and noticed him staring out the window.

Jack gave him a nudge. "What cha thinking about?"

"Mommy."

Cassie returned to the living room and having heard what Dylan had said, she sat back down and waited for Jack to respond.

Jack put the TV on mute. "What exactly were you thinking?"

Dylan looked into his eyes. "Is Mommy ever coming home?"

Jack glanced at Cassie as she stared at the floor, trying not to cry.

Jack gently rubbed Dylan's back. "I don't know. We don't know where she is."

Tears came to Dylan's eyes. "Why can't you find her? Don't you want Mommy to come home?"

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. "More than anything. I want more than anything for your Mom to be here with us and I wish we could find her."

When Sam had been taken, he had chosen not to tell Dylan that Sam had been kidnapped, fearing it would only scare Dylan and give him nightmares. He couldn't tell Dylan about the stargate, that his Mom was taken on another planet. People would think Dylan was mentally unstable if he told everyone that his Mom had disappeared some place very far away. He had simply told him that Sam was lost.

Dylan looked down at his hands. "Is Mommy mad at me? Is that why she left me?"

Jack glanced at Cassie and tears filled her eyes as she suddenly stood up and left the room.

Jack turned off the television and turned Dylan around so he could look into his face.

"Dylan, this was not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. Your Mom was lost while doing her job. Uncle Danny and Uncle T and many other people have tried to help me find her. Please try to understand that your Mom would never leave you for any reason if she could help it. She loves you very much and wherever she is, I'm sure she misses you too and wants to be here with us."

Tears started down Dylan's cheeks. "I miss Mommy. I want her to come home so she can play with me in the snow."

Jack choked back tears. "I want her home too."

Dylan looked into Jack's eyes. "Are you going to leave me like Mommy did?"

Jack hugged Dylan to him. "No, Dylan, I'm not going to leave you. I promise I won't."

Jack held Dylan until he fell asleep. Slowly standing up, he carried Dylan to his room and laid him on his bed. He removed Dylan's shoes, covered him with a blanket and kissed his forehead.

Jack went into the bathroom, closed the door and leaned against it. Putting his hand to his mouth, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths as he tried to control his emotions.

Going into the kitchen, he found Cassie washing dishes.

"Cass, you could have put those in the dishwasher."

Cassie sniffed. "Gave me something to do."

They stood in silence until Cassie looked up at Jack. "This is so hard on all of us but especially Dylan. He's just a little boy and he needs his Mother."

Jack stared out the window. "I know. I don't know what to say to him sometimes. Nothing is going to make him feel better until Sam walks through the door."

Cassie dried her hands and crossed her arms. "Do you think Sam's really out there somewhere or do you think she's . . . ?"

"Dead?"

"Yes."

"I won't ever give up hope, Cass. I can't. For Dylan's sake I just can't. I know that if Sam is still alive, she'll do everything in her power to come back to us if she can."

Cassie turned around and leaned against the counter. "Mom really misses her. I heard her tell Teal'c and Daniel not long ago that she's trying to stay positive that Sam is okay and will come home."

Jack sighed. "All of our allies are aware she's missing. I keep hoping that someone will see her or hear something about her and will let us know so we can go get her and bring her home."

**~oOo~**

A few months later, Jack, Dylan, Daniel, Janet and Teal'c sat around the dining room table as Cassie slowly entered from the kitchen carrying a birthday cake with five lit candles.

Everyone sang Happy Birthday as Cassie gently set the cake on the table.

After they finished singing, Cassie sat down by Dylan. "Make a wish before you blow them out."

Dylan tightly closed his eyes for a few moments. Opening his eyes, he took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Everyone applauded as Janet stood up to remove the candles from the cake and Dylan looked at Jack.

"Want to know what I wished for, Dad?"

Before he could answer, Dylan said "I wished for Mommy to come home."

The room became quiet as everyone glanced at each other, not knowing what to say.

Jack smiled at his son. "We'll all keep wishing that your Mom comes home."

Janet tried not to cry as she picked up a knife. "Since it's Dylan's birthday, he should have the first and the biggest slice of cake."

Dylan grinned and nodded his head.

Later that day, Daniel and Janet sat on the deck watching Jack, Dylan, Teal'c and Cassie toss around a football in Jack's backyard.

Daniel stared at Jack. "Jack has aged a lot since Sam's been missing."

Janet nodded her head in agreement. "I don't know what would become of him if he didn't have Dylan, he's what keeps him going."

They both chuckled as they watched Dylan grab the football and Teal'c quickly picked him up and ran to the other side of the yard as if they had just scored a touchdown.

Dylan thrust his fist into the air. "We win! We win!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Cassie yelled as she put her hands on her hips and Jack began to laugh.

Teal'c set Dylan on the ground and Dylan looked up at him. "We won, didn't we Uncle T?"

Teal'c tipped his head and smiled. "Indeed."

**~oOo~**

That night after everyone had left and Dylan had his bath, Jack followed Dylan into his bedroom. Jack opened the dresser drawer to get a clean pair of Dylan's pajamas.

"I had fun today, Dad."

Jack smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time."

A look of sadness came to Dylan's face as he looked up at Jack. "Do you think Mommy will be home for my next birthday?"

Jack gently put his hand to the back of Dylan's head. "I hope she is."

After Dylan was in bed, Jack went out on the deck and looked up at the millions of stars.

"Today is Dylan's birthday, Sam, but if you're alive, I'm sure you remembered. Dylan and I miss you so much, our lives just aren't the same without you. Are you still alive? If you are, please don't feel that I've abandoned you because I haven't, I just don't know where else to look. Dylan and I love you and we're not giving up hope that you'll be back soon. Please come home to Dylan, Sam. Please come home to me."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack slowly turned over in bed and realized his cell phone was ringing on his nightstand.

Raising up on his elbow he stared at the bedside clock. 5:51 a.m.

"Who is calling me at this hour?" he mumbled.

He suddenly remembered that Dylan had spent the night with Alex Madison. Alex and his parents, Bill and Amy, had recently moved into the house next door and they'd had Dylan and himself to dinner a few times at their house. Dylan was only two months older than Alex and the boys had become friends.

Hoping this wasn't Bill or Amy calling to tell him that something was wrong with Dylan, Jack picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello."

"Jack, this is General Reynolds. I'm sorry to wake you but I knew you'd want to know as soon as possible."

Jack turned on the bedside lamp. "What is it?"

"You need to get here, Jack. It's about Colonel Carter."

Jack's heart began to race as he quickly got out of bed. Knowing he couldn't discuss anything with Reynolds over the phone, he cut the conversation short.

"I need to make a phone call to get someone to take care of Dylan and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"We'll be waiting."

After quickly getting dressed, he ran a comb through his hair and put his wallet in his pocket.

Knowing it was still early but feeling anxious to get to the base, he dialed his neighbors' number.

He paced as he waited and finally a sleepy voice answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Amy, it's Jack. Look, I'm sorry to wake you but I was wondering if Dylan could stay with you today, or maybe for a few days. I have an emergency I need to take care of."

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry, I really can't tell you anything."

Bill and Amy knew that he was a retired USAF General and he had also told them that Sam was in the Air Force but was MIA.

"I understand, Jack. We'll be glad to look after Dylan for you."

"Please tell him that I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I will and don't worry, we'll take good care of him."

"Thanks, Amy."

Jack ended the call and put the cell phone in his pocket, grabbed the keys to his truck and ran out the door.

Thankful that it was a Saturday morning and there was less traffic, he drove as fast as he could.

Arriving at the Mountain, Jack quickly parked his truck and ran inside. After scribbling his name on the sign-in log and riding down the elevator, he hurried to the briefing room and found Reynolds, Bra'tac and SG-3 waiting for him. Everyone stood up as Jack came through the door.

Bra'tac grinned and grasped Jack's arm. "It is good to see you, my friend."

"Same here. You have good news for me?"

"I do."

Daniel and Teal'c entered the room. After Teal'c and Bra'tac greeted each other, everyone sat down at the table.

Jack got right to the point. "You think you know where Sam is?"

"I am certain of it."

"Where?"

"On a planet quite far from here. I was in a meeting with the Jaffa High Council when Rak'nor and Artok interrupted, needing to speak with me on an urgent matter. They had been to another planet to discuss with the Jaffa there about joining our cause. They had trouble with their Tel'tak on their way back to Chulak and had to land on the first planet they could find. They found people there so Rak'nor and Artok asked for their help."

Daniel set up straighter in his chair. "Were they dressed in black robes?"

"The males were dressed in black. The females were dressed in blue."

"And they spoke English?"

"They did."

"If this is the same people that took Sam, when I tried to talk to them, they spoke in a language that Sam, Teal'c and I had never heard."

Teal'c looked at Daniel. "They chose not to speak our language. They only wanted Colonel Carter."

Jack stared at Bra'tac as he continued.

"Rak'nor and Artok led two of the men back to where they had landed and showed them what they needed for repairs. They returned with the men to the town and that's when Rak'nor and Artok saw a woman that looked very much like Colonel Carter. As soon as the repairs were made, they came back to Chulak to inform me. So as not to get your hopes up, I wanted to see for myself if it was her, so we returned to the planet. We landed some distance from the town so we would not be detected and walked the rest of the way. We hid in some trees and watched and waited for awhile but eventually saw her. Although she was quite some distance from us, she stood out from the others because of her height and light hair. There was a man that she followed at all times, never beside him but always walked behind him. He went into a building for a short time. When the man came back out, he handed her some kind of package to carry and she followed him down a street. They went around a corner so we lost sight of her. We returned to Chulak and I came here."

Jack looked at Reynolds. "We have to go to the planet."

"I know, Jack. I asked SG-3 to sit in with us so they could hear what Master Bra'tac had to say. I'm sending them with you as back-up. You can change clothes in the locker room."

As everyone stood up, Daniel spoke. "Wait a minute. If this is the same people that we ran into on the planet and they have weapons like they used on Sam, Teal'c and me, we don't have anything like that to defend ourselves. They could knock all of us out in a matter of seconds."

Jack glared at Daniel and raised his voice. "I don't care what kind of weapons they have, Daniel! I'm going after my wife! Dylan has been without his Mother for over two years! He needs her to come home and so do I!"

"I'm not saying we don't go after Sam, Jack. I just want you to understand that we don't know exactly what we'll be up against."

"We've been to lots of other planets that we didn't know what we'd be getting into until we got there and that never stopped us before, Daniel. Let's go!"

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c headed to the locker room. Teal'c finished dressing first and went ahead to spend time with Bra'tac.

After getting dressed, Jack sat down on a bench beside Daniel and watched him tie his boots.

"Daniel, I want to remind you that if something happens and Sam and I don't come back, you'll become Dylan's guardian."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Jack."

"I'm just saying that if it does, we need to know that our son will be with someone who loves him and will take care of him."

Daniel put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I promise."

After Jack and Daniel put on their gear and got their weapons, they joined SG-3, Teal'c and Bra'tac in the gate room.

As everyone came through the stargate to Chulak, they were met by Rak'nor and Artok, they wanted to join the rescue mission.

Everyone boarded the Tel'tak and sat down on the floor to get comfortable for the long ride to the planet.

As Bra'tac sat at the controls, Jack sat down in the chair beside him.

"I really appreciate this, more than you know. Thank you."

"You are most welcome. I have always held you and Colonel Carter in high regard and I know the respect that Teal'c has for you both. We must rescue her so she can return home to you and your son."

While Bra'tac navigated the Tel'tak, Jack went to join the rest of the men and sat down beside Daniel.

Jack glanced at each of the men. "Thanks for doing this. I know you may be risking your lives to bring Sam home safely. As Daniel mentioned earlier, since we don't really know anything about these people, we have no idea what they're like. I seriously doubt that they're going to let Sam go if we just march in there and demand to have her back."

Jack turned to look at Rak'nor and Artok. "I know you weren't there long but did you notice anything unusual we should know about?"

Rak'nor spoke up. "From what we observed from the short time we were there, this is a civilization strictly ruled by men. The females did not speak unless spoken to."

Jack and Daniel looked at each other, knowing how much Sam hated male dominated societies where females were treated as second class citizens.

Daniel and Jack chatted as Daniel snacked on a granola bar.

"Excited?"

Jack sighed. "Excited . . . nervous . . . scared. You name it, that's how I'm feeling right now."

"You'll be okay. We'll grab Sam, hop back on the ship to Chulak, go through the gate back to Earth and you, Dylan and Sam will be a family again."

"I hope you're right, Daniel. This better be Sam, I don't know what I'll do if it isn't. Not knowing what happened to her has been almost more than Dylan and I can bear and I don't want either of us to be without her any longer."

Daniel put his hand on Jack's forearm and squeezed. "We'll get her back. We'll be home before you know it."

Jack stood up and wandered to the front. Bra'tac glanced up at Jack as he sat down beside him.

"I am sorry this happened to Colonel Carter and only wish we had found her sooner."

"Yeah, me too."

"This situation must have been difficult for your son to be without his Mother all this time . . . as well as yourself."

Jack stared out the window. "It's the hardest thing, except for the death of Charlie, my other son, that I've ever had to live through."

**~oOo~**

As Jack stood talking with Teal'c, Bra'tac let everyone know that they would be arriving shortly on the planet.

As the men geared up, the Tel'tak descended to the surface.

Everyone was on high alert as they held their weapons and gathered at the door.

As Bra'tac joined the others, Jack turned to face the men as they awaited his orders.

"This is the most important rescue mission I've ever led. Thank you again for coming. Let's do this."

Bra'tac opened the door. Teal'c and Jack led the way outside as the others followed and everyone silently looked around. They were in a narrow clearing, close to a dense forest.

"Which direction?" Jack asked.

Rak'nor nodded with his head. "That way."

The men moved as quickly and as quietly as they could through the thick brush and trees. After walking a short distance, they could see a dirt road up ahead.

Jack glanced at Bra'tac. "Lead the way."

Bra'tac took lead as they moved through the trees and came closer to the town. Bra'tac stopped and Jack gave the signal to everyone to kneel on the ground and as they did so, they took their time to observe the people. As Bra'tac had said, the men were dressed in black and the women in blue. The women followed the men in silence. Knowing how independent Sam was, Jack could only imagine how difficult it had been for her to have lived under these conditions for so long.

As Jack watched, he observed the town and the people. He knew Sam had been taken in a ship, but what was so surprising was that they didn't have automobiles, trains or any other means of transportation. A few people rode on horseback but everyone else was walking.

Colonel Miller looked at Jack. "Sir, shouldn't we go ask if they know where we might find her?"

"No. It's best if we just wait here for awhile and hope we see her. If we start asking questions, someone that doesn't want Sam to be found may hear us asking about her and try to hide her from us, making it more difficult to locate her."

They had been watching for almost a half hour when Major Sheridan of SG-3 suddenly pointed and whispered "there she is."

Jack turned his head in the direction the Major was pointing and he could feel his heart beating faster as he stared at Sam.

Daniel whispered "it's her, Jack."

Everyone watched as a man that Sam was following, stopped and gazed into a store window. He said something to Sam and she nodded her head as the man went inside. She turned slightly in their direction and Jack stared at his wife. She had lost weight and her blonde hair was now half way down her back and in a braid. Tears came to his eyes as he realized once again how much he had missed her. He missed her smile. He missed those blue eyes that could look at him with such love that it could almost knock him over, those eyes that could glare at him when he had said something that she thought was ridiculous. He missed her giggle and the way she would tease him when they were alone. He missed kissing her and making love to this woman who had captured his heart so long ago on the first day they had met when she had challenged him to arm wrestle. He remembered the many times he would wake up with Sam snuggled against him, but how empty the bed now felt when he awoke and she wasn't there. He remembered how beautiful she had been while carrying his child and how sweet, patient and gentle she had been with their son.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the man came out of the building and went in the opposite direction from where they were. Sam followed the man as they disappeared into the crowd.

Teal'c looked at Jack. "How do you wish to proceed, O'Neill?"

Jack turned to face Bra'tac and Teal'c.

"You two are coming with me. The rest of you, stay in the woods and follow us as closely as you can without being seen. Don't do anything unless you see that we're in trouble. I don't want to hurt anyone if possible."

The three men stepped out onto the road. As they walked into town, the people stopped what they were doing and stared at the men.

Jack gripped his P-90. "Be ready for anything" he whispered.

They walked quickly in the direction that Sam had gone and the people didn't attempt to talk to them.

As they came down the street, Bra'tac got a glimpse of Sam. "O'Neill, over to your left. She just went into that building."

They hurried along and stepped onto the porch of a shop.

Jack glanced around. "Teal'c, wait here. Bra'tac, you're with me."

Teal'c turned around and stood in front of the door. He looked very menacing since he was three times the size of the people, so most of them would look at him for a few moments and hurry past him.

As Bra'tac and Jack entered the shop, they could see a few other people wandering around.

Jack could see Sam standing a few feet behind the man she had been following and noticed that she was about five inches taller than him. He spoke in a language that Jack had never heard as he conversed with a woman behind the counter.

The woman looked up and stared at the strangers. The man and Sam turned around at the same time to see what the woman was looking at.

Sam's breath caught in her throat and her eyes grew large when she saw Jack. He glanced at her but kept his attention on the man so he would not become suspicious.

Jack raised his left hand in greeting but kept his right hand securely on his weapon. "Howdy, folks."

Sam put her hand to her mouth as Jack quickly glanced at her again and he could see that she was trying not to react, knowing they could be in danger if she did.

Bra'tac walked slowly around displays of food as if he were looking for something in particular.

The man narrowed his eyes and glared at Jack. "Who are you?"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You can understand me?"

The man looked Jack up and down. "I do. I speak many languages."

"Good. Well, you see, me and my friend here are from a place far away. We're traders and we happened to notice your fair planet and decided we'd come and have a look around."

"What do you hope to find?"

Jack glanced at Sam and back to the man again. "We're interested in knowing what kind of weapons you might have."

"We have nothing that would interest you."

"May I ask your name?"

"My name is Calyx."

Jack patted his P-90. "Well, Calyx, do you have one of these?"

"No. I do not."

"Do you have enemies?"

"Certainly."

"Then see, you might need this. How about if we trade?"

"What would you like to trade?"

"I'll give you this weapon for the beautiful woman standing beside you."

Calyx's expression changed to a glare as he slowly crossed his arms and slipped his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. "She is my servant and she is not for sale."

Jack kept talking with Calyx as Bra'tac slowly edged closer to Sam. She glanced at Bra'tac, knowing he was up to something.

Bra'tac came to stand beside her and suddenly pulled a zat'ni'katel from under his robe. Calyx saw Bra'tac from the corner of his eye and turned to face him. He quickly removed his hand from his sleeve and held up an object in the palm of his hand.

Sam knew what Calyx was about to do and reacted quickly by kicking Calyx's arm. The object flew across the room as Bra'tac shot Calyx with the zat and he fell to the floor.

The people in the shop began to scream and run for the door as did the woman behind the counter.

Teal'c was about to come inside to see what was happening just as Jack grabbed Sam's hand and headed to the door with Bra'tac following.

"Teal'c, we got her! Let's go!"

They started back the way they had come but as they were running down the street, Sam tugged on Jack's hand to stop.

"Jack, we can't leave yet! There's something I have to bring with us!"

They heard loud voices and turned to see several men coming down the road, holding what appeared to be some kind of weapons in their hands.

"Jack, please!"

"Where to?"

"This way!"

Teal'c and Bra'tac followed Jack and Sam as they ran ahead. Jack glanced behind them to see SG-3, Daniel, Artok and Rak'nor fire their weapons into the air to stop the men from advancing any further.

Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Bra'tac followed Sam as she suddenly turned and went through a narrow alley between two buildings.

They came around the corner of a large house and followed Sam as she ran up the front steps. Sam pushed open the front door and the men followed her inside.

Jack glanced around. "Sam, we have to hurry. What's so important?"

Sam grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him to a small bedroom in the back of the house. They came through the door as a woman stood up from a wooden chair and Jack could see she was holding a little girl.

"Neisha, this is my husband. He's here to take me home. Please come with us."

Neisha's eyes grew wide with surprise as Sam took the child from her.

"Please, Neisha, come with us. You can have a much better life where we're going."

Neisha shook her head. "I cannot. I will stay here. This is my home."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, but you must hurry before Gianna returns."

Sam walked to Jack and turned the child around so he could see her face.

"Jack, this is Lizzie. Your daughter."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sam quickly gave Lizzie to Jack and he stared at the beautiful child.

Sam pulled a small cloth bag from under a bed and hurried around the room, throwing a few things inside and handed it to Jack.

She put her arms around Neisha and gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Neisha, for being my friend."

"Take care of yourself and Lizzie, Samantha. I shall miss you both."

The two women stared at each other for a few seconds as Sam took Lizzie from Jack and looked back one last time at Neisha.

They went out the same way they had come and back through the alley.

Lizzie began to cry so Sam wrapped her arms around their daughter, holding her closely to her chest.

"Where to?" Sam asked.

Bra'tac stepped in front. "This way."

They hurried across the road and into the woods as Daniel, SG-3, Rak'nor and Artok came running toward them. Behind them, they could see the men running after them but with their long robes and short strides, they could not keep up with the bigger and faster men.

Sam and the rescue party hurried out of the forest and into the clearing as Bra'tac ran ahead and opened the door of the Tel'tak and started up the controls.

Everyone quickly boarded and as the door closed, the men from the town watched the Tel'tak rise into the sky.

Jack quickly glanced around at everyone. "Is everybody okay?"

Daniel leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "We're fine."

Jack looked at Sam and she suddenly burst into tears. Jack put his arm around her shoulder and led her away from the men so they could be alone. He dropped the bag on the floor that Sam had given him and quickly put his arms around Sam and Lizzie, holding them tightly for several moments as Sam continued to cry and he could feel her trembling.

"Oh, Jack. I can hardly believe this is happening. I've dreamed of this day for so long."

Jack pulled back from her so he could see her face as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Me too, Sam. You don't know how much Dylan and I have missed you."

They sat down on the floor and Sam held Lizzie tightly.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"I'm much better now that I know you're alive. I'm so sorry it took us so long to find you."

Jack kissed Sam as she put her hand to the side of his face. The kiss was sweet and tender but they stopped when Lizzie began to whimper.

Sam rocked Lizzie back and forth. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. Your Daddy came to get us and we're going home."

Sam set Lizzie on her lap and turned to Jack. "How did you find me?"

"Not long ago, Rak'nor and Artok had trouble with their Tel'tak and they happened to land on the planet. While they were talking with some of the men from the town, they thought they saw you and went back to Chulak and told Bra'tac. He returned with them to see for himself if it was really you. When he knew it was, he came through the stargate to tell us."

"Jack, I know you want to know all about Lizzie but how is Dylan?"

"For the most part he's okay but misses you terribly. He will be so excited to have you home. He's in pre-school now."

"I can't wait to see him. Is Mrs. Graham looking after Dylan while you came to get me?"

"No. A family recently moved in next door. Nice couple. They're taking care of Dylan until I get back. They have a son Dylan's age and the boys are friends. Mrs. Graham no longer works for us. I didn't need her any more when I retired."

Sam looked surprised. "You retired?"

"Just a few months after you disappeared. I just couldn't do my job any more with you gone and Dylan needed me."

"If you retired, who's running the base?"

"Reynolds. He got promoted."

"Oh. Well, I'm happy for him. He deserved it."

Lizzie started to squirm so Sam set her on the floor. They watched as she pushed herself to her feet and toddled a few steps away as she jabbered something they couldn't understand.

Sam grinned. "This is all new and exciting to her."

Teal'c and Daniel slowly approached and Lizzie looked up at the men.

Daniel leaned over, put his hands on his knees and smiled at Lizzie. "Hi there."

Sam quickly stood up and put her arms around Teal'c as she began to cry again.

"Oh Teal'c, it's so good to see you."

Teal'c smiled and gave her a gentle hug. "It is good to see you, Colonel Carter, and to know you are alive and well."

Sam gave Daniel a long hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Sam."

Sam let go of Daniel and wiped her eyes once more.

Teal'c handed a canteen and a cup to Sam. "We do not mean to intrude but thought you would like some water."

Sam took the canteen and cup from Teal'c. "Thank you."

Sam sat down by Jack as Daniel stared at Lizzie.

"Uh, Sam, who is this?"

Jack and Sam glanced at each other. "She's our daughter, Daniel. Mine and Jack's."

Daniel and Teal'c looked speechless. They stared at the little girl as she crawled across the floor and reached up to Sam.

"Mama."

Jack grinned. "She's talking."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, she's saying a few words."

Sam poured water into the cup and handed it to Lizzie. She took it in her tiny hands and drank until it was gone.

Sam rubbed Lizzie's back. "You were thirsty, sweetheart."

Sam took the cup from Lizzie, poured water into the cup and drank some herself.

Sam handed the canteen and cup to Jack. "I need to see if Lizzie needs changing." Sam picked up the bag she had brought with her and carried Lizzie to the restroom. When she returned, she sat down again beside Jack and began to gently rock Lizzie until she fell asleep. Jack removed his jacket and laid it on the floor and Sam laid Lizzie on top.

Jack turned to look at Sam and he put his arm around her and held her close. "Okay. You need to explain this. We have a daughter. How old is she?"

Daniel spoke up. "If you need to discuss this in private, Teal'c and I will leave."

Sam shook her head. "No, Daniel, it's okay. I don't mind if you stay."

Teal'c and Daniel sat down as Sam began. "By Earth's calendar, Lizzie is eighteen months old. Not long after I was kidnapped, I started getting sick to my stomach. At first, I thought it was just stress but after it happened a few more times, I realized that I was feeling the same way I had when I got pregnant with Dylan. Believe me, Jack, if I had known I was pregnant before we went to the planet, I wouldn't have gone."

Jack looked into her eyes. "Got that right. I wouldn't have let you. Tell us what happened when you were first taken."

"I woke up on a ship and remembered that Daniel, Teal'c and I had been knocked unconscious back on the planet. I called out for them but soon realized that I was alone. I was in a small room but I couldn't find a way out. A little later, Calyx pushed open a partition on the wall and came inside."

Daniel interrupted. "Calyx is the guy you were following on the street?"

"Yes. He stared at me for a long moment, started to talk to me and told me he wanted me to be his wife, but I stood up to him and defiantly refused and told him I was already married. He tried to force himself on me but I fought him off. After I rejected him, he became very cruel and gave me a choice of either death or be his servant. He would not let me speak unless I was spoken to. Calyx eventually married Gianna and I became her servant too. She was never unkind to me but totally ignored me unless she wanted something."

"Who was that Neisha person I met briefly?" Jack asked.

"Neisha is Calyx and Gianna's cook. When Neisha was twelve years old, her father sold her to Calyx and she has been living in his house ever since. She's a very sweet woman and we became good friends. In fact, she's the only friend I had the whole time I was there. She helped me look after Lizzie and became like a second mother to her. I just wish she had come with us. I fear what might happen to her when Calyx finds out that I'm gone, he may take out his anger on Neisha."

"What did you do as their servant?" Daniel asked.

"I served Calyx and Gianna their food, washed clothes, cleaned the house, did yard work and took care of their flower garden. I liked working in the garden. I would take Lizzie with me sometimes so we could both enjoy the sunshine."

Sam took a sip of water before she continued.

"When the time came for me to give birth, I was scared. Since Neisha never had children, she didn't know how to help and I knew I couldn't have the baby by myself. I asked Calyx if I could have someone with me who knew what to do, so he allowed another woman to come help. Since we had to walk everywhere we went, it was good exercise for me to be active so I was in good physical condition during the time I was pregnant. I didn't have any complications during the delivery and Lizzie was born healthy."

Sam paused for a moment as tears came to her eyes and she squeezed Jack's hand. "I cried for two days because you weren't there to see your daughter. I knew how thrilled you would be to have a little girl since we already had Dylan."

Jack gave Sam a tight hug and kissed her forehead.

"How did you choose the name for our baby?"

"I chose Elizabeth because it was my grandmother's name and Hope as her middle name because I wasn't giving up hope that we'd eventually be rescued."

"Did you try to escape?" Teal'c asked.

"I thought about it but there was nowhere to go. They don't have a stargate and I found out from Neisha that the ships are heavily guarded, night and day, and only their highest officials are allowed to use them."

Daniel changed positions on the floor. "How many ships do they have? Did they make the ships themselves?"

"Neisha told me there are three and they were bought from a race on another planet, although she didn't know which race. Even if I had managed to get inside one of the ships, it might have taken me some time to figure out how to operate it and if I had been caught, I probably would have been murdered so I just stayed where I was. Besides, when I first met Neisha, Calyx warned me that if I tried to run away, he would kill her. After Lizzie was born, he said if I tried to leave, he would take Lizzie from me and sell her and I'd never see her again. I couldn't let him do that to Neisha or my baby. I wanted to come home but I couldn't."

Sam glanced at the men. "Did you think I was dead?"

Jack shook his head. "We tried to stay optimistic that you were still alive. We tried everything we could think of to locate you but we couldn't."

Sam squeezed Jack's hand. "I don't blame you or anyone for not finding me sooner, but I had come to accept that if I had to stay there the rest of my life, at least I had a part of you with me, I had Lizzie."

Daniel pushed himself up from the floor. "I'm sure you'd like to talk in private for awhile."

Teal'c stood up and he and Daniel went back to the front of the ship.

Sam laid her head on Jack's shoulder with her arm around his waist.

"I love you, Sam" Jack whispered as he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her.

Sam leaned back to look into his eyes. "I love you too."

They sat silently for several moments, enjoying this chance to be together and touch each other again.

Lizzie awoke and began to cry so Sam set her on her lap. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?"

Reaching into the bag she had brought with them, she pulled out a little spoon and a small metal container that was filled with food. She began to feed Lizzie as Jack watched.

"What is that, Sam?"

"It's called pacus, it's like applesauce. It's nutritious and sweet and Lizzie loves it. It's made from a fruit that we don't have on Earth. Would you like to feed her?"

Jack lifted Lizzie onto his lap as Sam handed him the spoon and container and he began to feed their daughter.

Lizzie stared at Jack as she reached up and put her tiny fingers against his cheek and Sam could see tears in his eyes.

"I've already missed part of her life, Sam. I didn't get to be there when she was born and I didn't get to see her take her first steps or hear her say her first words."

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know, Jack, but we're going home now and you and Lizzie can get to know each other. You can teach her to fish at the cabin."

Jack gently rubbed the back of Lizzie's head. "I took Dylan to the cabin sometimes while you were missing. That's the one place I could find some peace when I found myself getting depressed about you."

"I dreamed about being there with you, Jack, and then I'd wake up to find out it wasn't real."

Jack put his hand to Sam's cheek. "But this is real. When we get home and everything gets back to normal, we'll take Lizzie and Dylan to the cabin for a family vacation."

Sam smiled. "I'd love that."

**~oOo~**

As the Tel'tac landed on Chulak, everyone came out the door and SG-3 and Daniel headed to the stargate.

Teal'c grasped Bra'tac's arm. "Thank you for helping rescue my friend."

Bra'tac smiled. "You are most welcome, Teal'c. If you can come back for a visit in the not too distant future, I am certain that Rya'c and Kar'yn would like to see you."

"Tell them I will visit soon."

Sam gave Lizzie to Jack and turned to Bra'tac. Putting her arms around his neck, she gave him a hug. "Thank you so much."

Bra'tac smiled. "You are more than welcome, Colonel Carter. I am glad we could assist in your rescue and it is good to know that you are alive and have been safely reunited with your family."

Sam quickly gave Rak'nor and Artok a quick hug and thanked them also.

Sam took Lizzie from Jack as he glanced at Bra'tac, Rak'nor and Artok. "I can't thank you enough for letting me know you had found Sam. If you ever need anything, anything at all, you know how to get in touch with me."

The three men watched their friends from Earth walk to the stargate and step through the event horizon.

Daniel and SG-3 were talking with General Reynolds as Teal'c, Jack, Sam and Lizzie came through the gate.

General Reynolds smiled at Sam as they came down the ramp. "Welcome home, Colonel. It's good to see that the rescue mission was a success."

Sam smiled. "Thank you, sir. It's great to be back."

General Reynolds looked at SG-3, Daniel and Teal'c. "Report to the infirmary for post mission checks."

Everyone did as he ordered as Daniel gave Sam a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Good to have you home, Sam."

"Thanks, Daniel."

Reynolds turned to Sam. "I know you need to get home to see your son but I want you back here in three days for a debriefing so we can get on record exactly what happened to you. I'm sure the President and Joint Chiefs will be most anxious to know."

Sam nodded her head. "Yes, sir."

Reynolds noticed Lizzie looking around the large gate room. "Who is this young lady?"

Sam grinned. "This is our daughter."

Reynolds glanced back and forth between Jack and Sam. "Your daughter?"

Jack patted Reynolds on the shoulder. "Long story. We'll cover that in the debriefing. Can we go now?"

"I need you to report to the infirmary to have Dr. Frasier check you out, then you're free to go."

As they hurried down the corridor to the infirmary, Janet came running to greet her friend.

Jack took Lizzie from Sam and the two women hugged.

"It's really you."

"Oh, Janet, I've missed you so much."

They finally let go and held hands. "I can hardly believe it, Sam. We've waited for this day for a long time."

"Me too."

"Cassie is going to be so excited when I tell her you're back."

"I can't wait to see her."

Janet noticed Jack holding Lizzie. "Who is this little beauty?"

Jack bounced Lizzie in his arms. "Our daughter."

Janet's mouth opened but nothing came out.

Sam grinned at Janet's response. "Get Daniel to explain. Can we hurry with this please? We want to get home to Dylan."

As Janet quickly examined Sam, Jack took the time to really look at his daughter and realized that just in this very short time, he had already fallen in love with his baby. Her hair was blonde like Sam's and her brown eyes reminded him of Dylan. He smiled as Lizzie wrapped her little fingers around his thumb and stared at him.

"Lizzie, can you say 'Daddy'?"

Sam and Janet smiled as they watched Jack talk to Lizzie.

"Can you say 'Daddy'?"

Lizzie lay her head on Jack's chest as he hugged her to him. "I guess it's too soon for that just yet."

As Sam held Lizzie and Janet examined her, Jack went to see if Dave Dixon was on duty. They would need a car seat for Lizzie to ride home in and he thought that Dave might loan them his.

After tracking down Dave and explaining why he needed a car seat, Jack returned to the infirmary.

As soon as Jack and Sam changed clothes, they hurried to Jack's truck and Dave met them there.

Dave fastened the car seat in the back seat as they engaged in small talk for a few minutes.

Jack placed Lizzie in the seat and Sam got in beside her.

After thanking Dave once again, Jack drove down the winding road away from the Mountain. Sam put down the window and breathed in the sweet scents of the wildflowers growing beside the road. Sam kissed Lizzie on the top of her head. "We're home, baby girl, we're finally home."

Jack glanced at Lizzie in the rear view mirror as she stared out the window at the passing scenery, her eyes wide with excitement as she experienced seeing Earth for the first time.

Jack parked the truck in front of their house as Sam unfastened Lizzie from the car seat. Jack picked up their daughter and put his other arm around Sam's shoulder as they walked to their neighbors' house.

Jack rang the doorbell and Amy answered the door.

"Hi, Amy."

"Jack, you're back. Come in."

They came inside and Amy closed the door as Bill came in from the kitchen to join them.

"Hello, Jack."

"Hi, Bill. Amy and Bill, this is my wife, Sam, and this is our daughter, Lizzie."

Bill smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Amy's eyes grew big. "Oh my goodness, Jack told us you were MIA. I'm glad you're okay and I'm sure you're anxious to see Dylan. He and Alex are playing out back. Come this way."

Sam could feel her heart pounding as they walked out on the deck. There was Dylan leaning against a tree.

Sam started down the steps and into the yard as tears filled her eyes.

"Dylan!"

Dylan quickly turned and looked at Sam. He took two steps and stopped as if he were trying to decide if it was really his Mother. He stared at Sam a few seconds longer and came running. A smile lit up his face as Sam fell to her knees and held out her arms. Dylan threw his arms around her neck as Sam began to cry.

Jack smiled. He had waited over two years for this moment and now it was finally happening. Mother and son were together at last.

Everyone was silent as Sam held Dylan tightly.

Bill put his arm around Amy's shoulder and tears moistened her eyes as they watched Sam hug her son.

Sam finally stood up and wiped her eyes as Dylan wrapped his legs around Sam, leaned back and looked into her face.

"I missed you, Mommy. I'm happy you're home."

"I've missed you too, sweetheart. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back."

Dylan noticed that Jack was holding Lizzie but didn't say anything.

Jack looked at Bill and Amy. "We should be going. Thanks for looking after Dylan for me."

Bill grinned. "Any time, Jack. Glad we could help out."

Sam shifted Dylan in her arms. "I'd like to get to know you when things have settled down a bit."

Amy smiled. "We look forward to getting to know you too, Sam, and it's good to know you're safe. Welcome back."

Jack unlocked the front door of their house and they went inside. Sam stopped to look around and tried not to cry. "I didn't know if I'd ever see our home again."

Sam sat down on the sofa with Dylan on her lap as Jack held Lizzie and sat down beside her.

Sam kissed Dylan on his cheek. "I've missed you so much, honey."

Dylan stared into her eyes. "I thought you were mad at me, Mommy. I thought that's why you went away."

Sam frowned. "No, sweetheart, I was never mad at you."

"Where were you? Why didn't you come home?"

Jack touched Sam's hand. "I told him you were lost and we didn't know where you were."

Sam rubbed Dylan's back. "I couldn't come home because I was in a place far away and there was a bad person there that wouldn't let me come home, but some very nice people found out where I was and they told your Dad, so he and Uncle Teal'c and Uncle Danny came to get me."

"You couldn't come home?"

"No, sweetie, I couldn't. Believe me, I wanted to be here with you and your Dad more than anything. Not a single day went by that I didn't think about you and how much I love you and missed you both. Now that I'm home, nobody is going to take me away from you."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

Dylan stared at Lizzie. "Who's she? Where did she come from?"

Jack and Sam glanced at each other as Sam spoke up.

"Her name is Lizzie, she's your sister. Not too long after I was first lost, I found out that I was going to have a baby so while I was gone Lizzie was born."

Dylan frowned. "Oh. You mean we have to keep her?"

Jack and Sam smiled as Sam hugged Dylan to her once more. "Yes, Dylan, we have to keep her and I'm sure that in time you'll like having her around and Lizzie is going to love having you for a big brother. You'll have each other to play with and grow up with."

"Okay, Mommy, if you say so."

**~oOo~**

Since they had discussed having a second child before Sam disappeared, they had kept Dylan's crib.

After they had eaten dinner that evening, Jack went to the basement and carried the dismantled crib to the bedroom that would be Lizzie's room.

After Sam had given Lizzie a bath and Lizzie had fallen asleep, Sam laid her on their bed until they could get the crib put together.

Dylan watched as Sam helped Jack assemble the crib.

When they were finished, Jack carried Lizzie into her new room and gently laid her down.

Both parents kissed Lizzie good night and returned to the living room. Dylan sat on Sam's lap and looked into her eyes.

"My wish came true."

"What wish was that, honey?"

"On my birthday. I wished for you to come home and now you have. I don't want you to go away ever again."

Sam smiled as she hugged Dylan tightly.

Dylan soon fell asleep in Sam's arms. Jack followed Sam as she carried Dylan to his room, laid him on his bed and pulled a blanket up to his chest. She sat down beside him, kissed his forehead and tried not to cry. She had missed over two years of her son's life, two years that she could never get back.

Jack put his hand on Sam's shoulder. She put her hand on top of his as they stayed silent for several moments and watched their sleeping son.

Jack linked his fingers with Sam's. "Come on."

Entering their bedroom, Jack gently took Sam's hands in his and kissed her as they slowly undressed each other.

After taking a shower together, Jack picked up Sam and laid her on their bed and the reunited couple made love into the night.

**Two Months Later:**

Jack sat on the porch of the cabin as he watched Dylan play in the front yard.

Sam opened the screen door, came outside and sat down beside Jack.

"Finally get Lizzie to sleep?"

Sam nodded her head. "She was trying so hard to stay awake, afraid she's going to miss something."

"This is her first time here at the cabin, there's a lot to see. We'll take her and Dylan exploring in the woods tomorrow."

"They'll love that, Jack."

He put his arm around Sam's shoulder as she snuggled closer to him. He kissed her temple and noticed the smile on her face. "What cha thinking?"

"How good it is to be back on Earth after being away from you and Dylan for so long and how great it is to watch our kids having fun in this peaceful place."

Jack stared at Dylan. "Not knowing where you were for over two years was the hardest time of my life, Sam."

Sam turned her head and looked into his eyes. "Harder than Charlie's death?"

"Yes. I knew for certain that Charlie wasn't coming back. I didn't know if you were coming back or not. I couldn't find you and not knowing if you were dead or alive was almost more than I could stand, but Dylan kept me going. I don't know what I would have done without him."

Sam squeezed Jack's hand. "I know how you feel. I felt so lonely most of the time. Not being able to come home was so difficult, but having Lizzie helped keep me from feeling hopeless and depressed."

"We can finally put all that behind us. You're here now and that's all that matters to Dylan and me."

Sam gave Jack a kiss. "It's so good to be home."

Jack smiled. "As our favorite alien would say . . . indeed."

The End


End file.
